Brexit: Davis's downsides this week

Either way, the problem with these bespoke deals is that they require years of uncertainty to negotiate, with Britain constantly having to adapt to EU laws over which it has no influence, and they require a lot of maintenance to get going. All this to gain a questionable advantage in not having to comply with a limited number of rules with which you do not entirely agree.

The one who applies the rules versus the one who makes them

Joining the single market and customs union amounts to a rule-based approach and makes no sense for a nation that aspires to become a world leader in product regulation. Full membership, as 27 other European states have already agreed, may ultimately appear to be the best option, as well as the easiest and quickest to negotiate.

John Peet of the Centre for European Reform has a useful paper I discuss how EU-UK relations might evolve in the future, but I think he misses a crucial point: economic factors. If the EU grows again and Britain continues to struggle, the pressure to join the EU will become ever more pressing, just as it was in the 1960s, and the right-wing arguments against membership will be weakened, a prerequisite for negotiations to begin.

It is worth noting that the new government has abandoned plans to set up an EU scrutiny committee in the House of Commons, in a move that appears to indicate a desire to minimise criticism of its move towards ever closer ties with the EU.

In The Daily ExpressJonathan Saxty writes that the Conservatives are responsible for the failure of Brexit: Labour is not to blame for Brexit betrayalFar from maximising benefits and realigning with the Commonwealth, Saxty says, the Conservatives have managed to secure some disappointing trade deals and have even succeeded in pushing immigration to record levels.

Saxty is or was the assistant editor of Brexit-watch.org a now-defunct site that has clearly given up on Brexit ever achieving its goals. And who could blame it?

This week we added ten new drawbacks to the file:

Culture

A recent survey conducted by The Musicians Union found that 75% of respondents have seen European bookings drop after Brexit 59% of them believe that travelling within the EU is no longer financially viable.

More than 40% of participants said they had to rent equipment in the EU to avoid the cost of a carnet, and 35% had to rent transport in the EU. Nearly 80% of those who gave up European tours said they had not been able to compensate for the loss of this work by touring elsewhere in the world.

Borders

In a small example of conservative waste, a border inspection facility at Poole in Dorset, built at a cost of $2.3 million and comprising two large unloading bays, inspection rooms and refrigeration facilities, has carried out only two checks since new controls were put in place in April this year.

Brian Murphy, CEO of Poole Harbour Commissioners, blames the problem on the government constantly shifting the focus of its five-times-delayed post-Brexit border regime, reducing the number of checks that would be needed.

The new Labour government has been warned that UK ports could actually demand compensation if trade barriers with the EU are lowered!

The British Ports Association (BPA) says its members are at risk lose large sums of money After building high-tech checkpoints, many of which, like the one in Poole, have barely been used, if checks on EU animal and plant products are scrapped. A letter to the Cabinet Office and Defra (Department for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) says port owners have built a series of expensive and highly sophisticated border checkpoints on the government's orders.

According to figures from the SPS Certification Working Group, a body representing 30 organisations covering the UK's food supply, production and distribution chain, as well as regulatory enforcement and port health authorities, the UK food industry has spent more than 200 millionnot on export health certificates since Brexit controls came into force in January 2021.

The government's Animal and Plant Health Agency has issued more than a million certificates, each costing up to $200.

And according to The grocer, the government proposes a new delay in the implementation of controls on imports of fruit and vegetables from the EU until 1 July 2025. This measure was due to start in October this year.

In a statement, Defra said the delay was necessary to prevent remaining controls taking effect by default, to allow the phased introduction of new controls that work for traders while protecting biosecurity.

Britain imports more than half of its fruit and vegetables and in 2022 almost 80% of vegetable imports came from the EU.

Home Office introduces new legislation to allow French border officers to operate in an extended zone at the port of Dover to minimise the risk of traffic disruption and to create more space to process passengers when the EU's new biometric border checks come into force in November.

The port will also upgrade its infrastructure to include 24 kiosks for coach passengers to complete checks, and will check passengers into cars using agents and tablets.

Trade

The UK government’s attempts to align with EU rules on food and agriculture to cut red tape at borders are likely to be followed by similar moves for chemicals and other sectors. This could lead to Britain adopting a Swiss-style relationship with the EU, including many different bilateral agreements that are constantly being renegotiatedaccording to Policy.

Although Brussels does not welcome such an arrangement, Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank, believes that in the very long term the relationship with the UK will be a bespoke and unique institutional structure, much like that of Switzerland, adding that the Berne arrangement would indirectly serve as a model.

However, before serious talks can begin on improving the trade deal, the EU has warned Britain that it must fully implement existing Brexit agreements on Northern Ireland and the rights of EU citizens living in Britain, according to the FT.

Brussels has published a list of eight demands the UK must meet to demonstrate the British government's genuine commitment to honouring its Brexit divorce deal, which EU diplomats have described as a test of good faith in the new relationship.

Food and drink

The Brexit Institute in Dublin says there has been an increase in foreign ownership in the UK brewing industry, including craft breweries, since Brexit.

As a result, they say, the level of imports from the EU has increased further. At the same time, more foreign beers are being produced on British soil, and UK export levels have fallen due to increased legal and transport complexity after Brexit, which harms their competitiveness in foreign markets

Finally, according to International Supermarket NewsThe UK tomato industry is facing unprecedented challenges as Post-Brexit seed import protocols 'wreaking havoc' on supply chains, threatening both economic stability and crop yields.

UK growers are facing delivery delays of up to six weeks, mainly due to extended pathogen testing times. These delays have disrupted crop scheduling and planning, leading to significant financial losses and operational issues.

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